Portable Picnics

So often picnics are boring. What we need is food that is easily transportable but above all quick and easy to prepare and tasty.

There's a variation to the “Three Cheese Tart” in The Shindig

Following the recipe roll out the pastry and use a 12 hole bun tin – you'll get 18 individual canapes – may be more depending on how thin you roll the pastry.

Make up the filling as per the recipe.

They can be made ahead and served cold – perfect for picnics.

Looking back at the beginning of the blog, there are recipes you can adapt that lend themselves really well for picnics.

Frittata in “Decisions, decisions: Frittata or pasta?” is a dish that is just as delicious served cold. It can be vegetarian or not – adding leftovers like cooked chicken or bacon bits, whatever takes your fancy.

Try a spot of fusion. Cook a pan of penne pasta and add the “Asian Spiced Salmon” - “Thursday supper and stir fry”. Once again you can add any leftover vegetables. If you don't have any try petit pois and sweetcorn. Fantastic served cold.

“Saturday night slob” gives you the recipe for burgers and meatballs. Make up a batch of meatballs – serve them with either sweet chilli sauce or the Pineapple Salsa from “Summer Holidays”.

Picnic petit-four

I appreciate I'm stretching the definition of a petit-four – it can be sucre or salee – in other words a tiny cake or pastry sweet or savoury. I'm suggesting that “dessert” isn't served in the accepted sense.

Let the kids help :

for the shindig, have a glance at the coolers in “Sweet Surprises for summer”

They could make either the Malteser Cake and/or Rocky Road from “Outside the box” and finally, here's another suggestion,

Tiffin

4oz unsalted butter

2 tbsp castor sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

4 tsp cocoa

8oz Rich Tea biscuits, crushed finely

Handful of raisins or cranberries

8oz chocolate

(you can mix 4oz milk, 4oz plain)

Melt the butter, sugar, syrup and cocoa.

Add the biscuits and raisins, stir to combine. Pour into a Swiss roll tin or into foil trays to suit your purpose, press down firmly.

Melt the chocolate – either in the microwave or in a bowl over simmering water (as always being careful not to let the bowl touch the water). Pour the chocolate over the mixture . Put into the fridge and leave to set for an hour.

Makes approximately 20 pieces.

Or, you could have a look in the cheap shops and/or baby aisles and see if you can pick up some funky individual pots with lids and make “Nigella's Instant Chocolate-Orange Mousse” mentioned in GOM: Chapter 9 and take with you a huge tub of strawberries, raspberries, melon, whatever looks great and fresh and in season.

Perfick!